Major Behavioral Health Conditions

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Below are specific symptoms associated with major behavioral health conditions.

These lists are very brief – there are many and varied symptoms that can occur depending on the disorder someone is experiencing and the severity of their illness. However, these should serve as a guide to the types of symptoms associated with many common forms of mental illness.

Depression

Clinical depression lasts for at least two weeks and affects a person’s emotions, thinking, behavior and physical well-being.

Psychological – Frequent self-criticism, self-blame, pessimism, impaired memory and concentration, indecisiveness and confusion, tendency to believe others see you in a negative light, thoughts of death and suicide

An anxiety disorder differs from normal stress and anxiety. It is more severe and long-lasting, and interferes with work and relationships. Anxiety disorders include Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder.

Bi-Polar Disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings. A person with Bi-Polar disorder may have periods of depression, mania, and normal mood, but must have episodes of both depression and mania to be diagnosed as having Bi-Polar Disorder. Bi-Polar Disorder used to be called Manic-Depressive Disorder. Symptoms include those for both depression and mania.

Psychosis is a mental disorder in which a person has lost some contact with reality. There may be severe disturbances in thinking, emotions or behavior. Psychotic disorders are not as common as depression and anxiety disorders, affecting just over 1% of the population. Psychotic disorders include Schizophrenia, Psychotic Mania, Psychotic Depression, Schizoaffective Disorder and Drug-Induced Psychosis.

Changes in Thinking and Perception – Difficulties with concentration or attention, sense of alteration of self, others or the outside world (e.g. feeling that self or others have changed or are acting different in some way), strange ideas, unusual perceptual experiences (such as a reduction or greater intensity of smell, sound or color), delusions, hallucinations (hearing voices)

Changes in Behavior – Sleep disturbance, social isolation or withdrawal, reduced ability to carry out work or other roles.